Those Black Stars
by I.N.L.F.D
Summary: To the far north of Midgar lies a dark forest. Beyond that is an inner-city that is full of light and cheeriness, yet is too sad to bear.The things there are horrendous. Not only is there cruelty, but there is violence, unethical laws and a somewhat sadistic social ladder. And somehow, Cloud Strife ends up finding himself beyond those gates of destruction. Full Summary Inside.


~Black Stars, Red Suns~

Rated: T

Author's Blab**:** Soo…although I have not finished Control, I have made a new story called "Black Stars, Red Suns", otherwise known as "B.S.R.S." Lol…B.S. Anyways, this story is a little bit of a parody of the Fiction Press story, _Paranoid_. I won't tell you all the details, but let's just say that this is similar to that story…if you have read it. It's going to be a little rocky, but hope you enjoy the story and the some-what original plot!

**Summary:** To the far north of Midgar lies a dark forest. And beyond that is an inner-city that is full of light and cheeriness, yet is too sad to bear. The lights of buildings and cars are much too bright for the citizens in _Pauperis Terre_. Yet in the morning, you would mistake the sky for dusk. Everything is darkened. The sun seems to have permanently plant its bottom on the horizon, too lazy to climb on top of the sky. But it's not only the sky that's freaky. The things there are horrendous. Not only is there cruelty, but there is carnality, violence, unethical laws and a somewhat sadistic social ladder. And somehow, Cloud Strife ends up finding himself beyond those gates of destruction, leading to the inner-city. With the help of everyone and anyone around him, he tries to make a way out of that hellhole and back into the land of the living…since those people could not _possibly_ be living… A/U.

Warning: OC, maybe OOC (Since I have never seen Crisis Core…)

**FYI:** The original story is very gruesome and grotesque, so I made a safe, T-rated Cut version. I love lemons, but due to the fact that it's T –rated (though teenagers read and watch things that are inappropriate anyhow, so I don't understand…) it will be dulled down to limes. If I get enough feedback from my crowd that y'all liked it, I will release the uncut version, which will be a permanent and _highly_ graphic M. But no worries! You'll like it, and for those of you who can't stomach gore, I will make an alternate three-shot of nothing but lovely, sour lemons! (Trust me; I'll satisfy you one way or another!)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the game of Final Fantasy VII…but we DO own the plot of this story.

* * *

Chapter One: To_ Enforce_

* * *

A group of kids surrounded the outskirts of their hometown, Midgar, as the sounds of loud booming noises followed them to the outside gates of the city. There were five children, four of them adolescents that barely escaped their mother's supple, and the fifth an older teenager on the hard road to becoming an adult. He was after all the courageous age of sixteen and one-hundred sun-ups. So many things have changed the once brilliant town where it would once shine night and day. Right now, Midgar was nothing but a former shadow of itself. The once prosperous, somewhat-industrial city became nothing more than a place where people would go for a good tour—or a good drink…at the city's expense.

Ever since SHINRA lost the war to the Anti-Federation Organization, Chilzeck (CAFO), Chilzeck took all of SHINRA's inventions, power, and land. Six years later, many of the things SHINRA managed to build over time was destroyed by Chilzeck in one fell swoop. Because SHINRA was basically the motherboard of power in Gaia's region, everything under SHINRA toppled down like the domino effect. One after one, things started to go bad. First, it was the economy, and then it was the inventions, after it was the power…and lastly, it was their sense of order. Now, Midgar was a means for touring for other Nations out of Gaia, and a drinking ground for people who lived in it.

But in any case, the sixteen-year old's job was to make sure that the four children who were, at the moment not tainted, stayed as far away from the center from the city as much as possible. Hence, he was at the outskirts of the city, right next to the gates.

"How about a good ol' hunt," a young child by the name of Lila asked with a small voice. She was only seven, but her mother died from the epidemic that took place directly after the war with Chilzeck. Her father died in the war with Chilzeck, so the teenager was the only one who could take care of her.

"We could look in the Northern Gates and the Southern Gates. As long as we avoid the Eastern and Western Gates, we should be okay. Is that okay?" The kids shifted, including Lila, who looked at the teenager with doleful, puppy eyes.

The teenager sighed softly, scratching his blond hair before he bent down to meet Lila, and looked directly in her hazelnut eyes with his sea-blue ones.  
"Will you call me with your GFR if there is any trouble?" Quickly she nodded, glancing at the other kids before they nodded too.

Seeing their confirmation, he slowly stood up, nodding with an emotionless face.

"Great! Then the last one to find it is a rotten egg! On your mark, get set—"

"Wait." Almost as if everything simply stopped in time, everyone froze in their moment.

"I haven't set up the boundaries yet." As everyone still stared at him with wide eyes, he sighed again. "You should know that we don't know what's behind those woods beyond the Northern and Southern Gates. For your safety, don't pass the woods until I get a good look at it. Okay?" Like mindless puppets, all four of the kids nodded silently with wide eyes. They knew better then to disobey the teen. Besides, he always had to save them by the skin of their teeth whenever they didn't listen to him.

"What are we looking for, Lila? The usual?" Just like that, the child piped up, excitedly jumping up and down to meet the teen's eyes.

"Yep! We're going to look for some peppermint in the woods. Along with that, we can also bring a few flowers or two from the middle of the woods. You know that my brother likes those, right?"

"Sure," he muttered, thinking about something. "He hasn't got out of the hospital yet?" Her brother was a good friend of his, and before the epidemic came around, Lila's brother became terribly sick. The quack said it was because of stress, but from what he said about Cloud's mother, he wasn't too confident about trusting that doctor with Lila's brother's health.

He said the same thing about Cloud's mother, how she was sick because of stress. But really, she had colorectal cancer. To this day, he didn't know how that was possible, but since the war with Chilzeck, many things that were thought to be impossible were proven possible just like that.

"No. If anything, his health has gotten worse," Lila replied sadly. Her face was downcast, almost as if she wanted to hide herself under her bangs, and her lips were curved downwards.

Wanting to get away from that topic, Cloud quickly reminded her of the 'hunting' game they were about to do.

"Aren't we supposed to look for herbs and flowers?" Again, she piped up, obviously happy for the change in topic and started the countdown once more.  
"Yes! So the last one to find it is a rotten egg! On your mark, get set, go!" With a vicious speed, Lila ran to the Southern forest, and the other three kids trailed behind her at the same pace.

Looking around, Cloud noticed that there was not a single person on the outskirts of the city.  
_Good,_ Cloud thought with relief, _I won't have to worry too much about the kids._

After glancing around one more time at his surroundings, Cloud went to the opposite direction the kids did, and headed to the Northern Gates. He hoped he would find where they laid his loved one once more.

* * *

The teenager took the easy way around the Northern Gates. Usually, if he wanted to go directly to her grave, he would have to go directly through the Northern Gates, which now has a pass code of blood and DNA where the system pricks you with a needle of silicon and iron. But since he technically wasn't registered in his town as a citizen, he would get in trouble—big trouble, as in terrorist alert trouble. Therefore, Cloud went through the grassy part of the Northern Gates.

After getting through the first stage, he had to kick his way through the tall grasses that covered up to his torso. The only thing in his favor was that it was winter—at least bugs wouldn't get in his clothing and on his skin. The bugs tended to pinch hard in the spring and summer time. Once he got through the grass, all he had to do was look for the main concrete path that would lead him straight to the Cemetery.

After a while, he did find the Cemetery, though it wasn't as he remembered. Before the war, the Graveyard area was pristine and neat. Now, the graves were smothered with dirt, and the stones itself had many cracks in it. Ravens sat on the porch of some of the stones, and the other scavengers picked at anything they found on the floors.

The teen cringed as he passed the sight of a dead bird on the ground, and a raven picking at it through the maggots. Without looking anywhere else, Cloud decided to look directly in front of him for _her_ grave. She died trying to protect him from a soldier who managed to get into Midgar. She knew she would die anyways, and she decided to use her life to protect him.

"_But in exchange for this_," she had said with a small and teasing smile, _"you have to take care of my orphans."_

Yes, the orphans were those four kids that he stuck with all day, everyday—except for this one.

He finally made it to her grave, which, surprisingly enough was still untainted. It was almost like the first time he came to her grave. He had so much to talk about, and it poured out like water from a jar. Cloud stooped down, staring at the name plate of the stone: Aerith Gainsborough.

"Hey Aerith," he said shakily. "I'm taking care of the four kids, just like you wanted me to so long ago." Granted, it was only a decade or so since her death, but to him, it seemed like forever. Aerith was, after all, like his older sister.

"Lila is good as usual, but her brother hasn't recovered yet from the pill that Hojo gave to him to 'heal' his stress levels. The SHINRA industry fell a while after you passed away. The world is becoming mad and crazy, Aerith. Before, it used to be once every so often that I had to lead the kids out of the Centress. Now, they have to stay away from the Centress every Friday, and I have to keep them there until sun-down." He bit his lip, but immediately calmed down as he felt the wind truffle through his hair. To him, it was like Aerith was ruffling his hair with her gentle, slender hand.

"The adults in Centress get intoxicated everyday because of the stress of the war. The reminder of the war constantly smacks them in the face as people come to see the damage of Midgar. When it does, they constantly take it out on the other kids through abuse. You were lucky, truly lucky to leave this world." The blond boy closed his eyes, and he tilted his head up, trying to feel the wind.

"But you know there are good things too. After the war, the people made a six-month holiday to celebrate that they were still alive. When we have that celebration, it is just like the old days. People talk, laugh, scream, and have a good time with each other. And the place is starting to get better too. While some of the people are complaining and making a big mess, others are finally starting to rebuild what was taken away."

Cloud shifted a bit, picking up some spare leaves that were lying next to the grave, and throwing it behind him.  
"Did you know Nicholas is eleven now? He's gotten so big. You know, when Nicholas turns twelve, I will probably move to a safer place with the kids. Of course, I'll take you with us. I mean, I owe you so much after all."

Slowly Cloud got up, and after placing his old friend's favorite flower at the grave's feet, he left to continue going north.

_Aerith once told me there was a beautiful ocean near this area,_ Cloud thought as he looked around the grassy lands_, but she never told me how far north it was._

The blond man kept on walking past the grassy area, past the Cemetery…

…only to find two iron gates with the words "Metalihenos" engraved on it.

"Do you have any business here?" If Cloud wasn't used to that like most people, he would have jumped out of his skin and jumped like a jackrabbit. But since he was used to such pranks from the four orphans, he merely turned towards the direction of the voice.

Well, the owner of that hoarse voice was a tall man in a black, business suit with thick shades covering his eyes.

_He…looks like some kind of Government Agent_, Cloud thought with slight horror.

"I happened to come here by chance," Cloud muttered, his blue eyes flickering on the other man who appeared from nowhere to his very right.

"I'm not sure what part of Gaia you're from, but all of Gaia knows not to come this way," the other man behind Cloud said, his voice a slight pitch higher than the other man that was in front of him. "Under no circumstance are people supposed to come even close to experimental premises. Now let me ask you again, do you have any official business here?"

"No," the blond boy said with a blank expression. Without a second thought, Cloud immediately retreated to look for the ocean Aerith spoke of. It obviously wasn't this way. If only she gave him exact directions…  
But before he had a chance to go even ten feet, the man that was in front of Cloud stopped him.

"Halt, boy." Used to following peoples' orders, he stopped, but immediately cursed himself afterword. He now looked from the corner of his eyes to see what the two men would do next.

"What County are you from?" Before Midgar had Districts, but that was destroyed once SHINRA lost the war. So the new order, CAFO, made a new law of class called Counties. County One was rated the most trustworthy, and thus it had the most riches, while County Twenty-two was the poorest County.

"I'm from County Seven, Midgar P.O.," Cloud replied without hesitation.

The two men observed his body language before one asked him curtly, "Why is it that I don't believe you?" The man took two steps towards Cloud, and Cloud took two steps back subconsciously.

"I am telling the truth," the blond said with gritted teeth, as he tried to keep his temper to a minimum. As it was, he didn't like to socialize with Government Agents, but if they were going to bother him, then he would get mad very quickly. Problem is, when he got mad, they would simply shoot him dead. Yep. Nice way to end your life.

Therefore, Cloud simply gritted his teeth as they questioned him like a prisoner.

"Surely. Then why aren't you looking this way?"

"Because I want to leave." With that, Cloud started to go back south, mainly so he could check on the kids, and also to make sure they didn't get into any trouble. But he couldn't do even that much, because the man in black stopped him yet again. What is it with that man that he _has_ to bother Cloud?

"I don't think so. People usually don't come here unless they have some business with Metalihenos…or if they're spies for the MILFE."

"Spies?! I'm not a spy," Cloud said with irritation. First, the man won't stop bothering him. Now he's labeling him a spy? "And I don't have business here either. Couldn't you accept the fact that I came here on pure accident because I was exploring?"

"No," the man replied sourly, "because the last person who said that ended up being a spy and blew up this place to Smithereens. It took us half a decade to fix it."

"But I'm not that person."

"Indeed, you're not. But you're suspicious. No one comes this way to 'explore', because everyone knows better."

_Oh for god's sake… _ Cloud put a finger to his temple as he watched the two men. "How about I just leave and never come back? Will that suffice enough for you?" The man laughed, he actually laughed before a horrible smirk appeared on his face.

"No, because you might just tell the other spies."

"I'm not a spy," Cloud snapped finally before he quickly caught himself. "So please stop saying that." It was almost like he made a grave mistake, because they simply watched his movements. The moment Cloud started to acquiesce to their stare, the man in front of Cloud started to walk slowly towards him.

"…" Without another word, the man that was in front of him the whole time somehow appeared in back of him, and held both of Cloud's wrists in one gloved hand.

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" Cloud tried to escape from them, struggling as best as he could. But the man's hold was like iron, and it would not relent. Finally, Cloud used the iron hold from the back to kick his legs in the air, but before he could even get his legs in the air, the cold truth smacked him in the neck like a cold towel.

"If you move as much as an inch, I'll blow your head off." It was only for that reason that Cloud kept completely still as the two men trapped him on both sides. If Cloud even sneezed the wrong way, the man who was so vividly talking to him before would now blow a bullet in his head.

Now, they left him closer and closer to the place they wanted to protect so harshly before.

"Just in case you are a spy, you'll die in a while anyways," the man who held him by the arms said as an explanation of sorts.

"And if you are not," the other man said with a small grin, "then I guess you better learn to defend yourself fast."

Incredulously, Cloud blanched. Before, these people were harassing him about being even close to this stupid place. Before, they said how it was dangerous to be there and how he had no right to be there. And now they were forcing him to go through those doors to get him killed?!

"Hah?! But I haven't done anything to warrant this! You're just punishing me because I happened to be in the area! Let me go!"

"No can do," the Government Agent said with a nonchalant tone. "You're probably a spy, and spies are meant to get killed. Besides, if we send you away now, who knows what information you'll spread about this place? Nope, it's better for those who have seen it to die."

As they got closer and closer to the gates, the gates started to creak, and slowly the doors opened.

With one push, Cloud was in, and the two men were on the other side.

"Don't worry your little head about dying," the man who still had a gun yelled at him at the top of his lungs before the gates started to close. "Spy or not, if you find some excuse for the authorities to keep you alive, you'll be able to fight for CAFO and live in luxury. It'll be so great; you won't even know what hit you when you die!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Ahh! The ending was totally weird! I just didn't know how to end it! Oh, please give me another chance, my sweet audience of maybe one or two people. This is my first time writing a plot like this, and I have no idea how this thing will turn out! I mean, I made a rough draft before I posted it (though I didn't polish it) obviously, but other then that, it's totally from my head!

Now, for the people who like my opening, I will try to update this every week, or once every two weeks. Since since most of my tests are over already, I can relax a little.

I know this wasn't my best, but I ask that you please give me some feedback! Tell me what you think! It can be about grammar, spelling, or just anything you can suggest. It can also be flames...though that sounds so sad...never mind, don't flame me!

*Also, I know some of the things in this story isn't right, which is why I labeled it a AUOOC (Alternate Universe/Out Of Character). But if you have any tips for me regarding this matter, please PM me! I would love to hear what you have to say!


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